Step-ladder.



No. 673,042. Patented Apr. 30, mm.

J. J. BACON.

STEP LADDER. (Application filed July 28, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE.

JOHN JAY BACON, OF WEST SOMERSET, YORK.

STEP-LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 673,042, dated April 30, 1901.

Application filed July 23, 1900. Serial No. 24,494. (No model."

To otZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN JAY BACON, of West Somerset, Niagara county, New York; have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Step-Ladders, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part thereof.

In the construction of step-ladders it is desirable and necessary that the structure be light in order that it may be readily moved from place to place, that it be strong that it may sustain a person without danger of collapse, that it be stable that it may not lurch or tilt when in use, that it be compact that it may not occupy too much room either when in use or folded up and stored away, and, finally, that it be of an inexpensive construction. With these objects in view I have designed the step-ladder which I shall now describe, reference being had to the drawings abovereferred to, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a ladder embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the ladder shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A indicates the main side pieces or supports, to which are secured the steps a in any suitable manner, a top step or support 0', preferably wider than the steps a, being secured to the upper ends of the side pieces A. The lower ends of said side pieces A rest upon a step b, which differs from the other steps a in that it has its ends extended some distance outside of the side pieces A. Secured to the ends of said lower step b are supporting-feet B,which are inclined relative to the side pieces A, and have their upper ends beveled or chamfered off, so that they rest smoothly against the said pieces A, and such upper ends are secured to each other and to the rest of the structure by means of a light tie-rod 0 which passes through the parts, preferably beneath one of the steps, this arrangement of tie-rod in close proximity to a step insuring a more rigid connection between parts than would be the case if the tie-rod 0 were intermediate the steps, such location of the tie-rod beneath the step guarding it against injury from being stepped on and preventing danger of the user tripping over it in ascending or descending. The tie-rod 0 as well as the parts described, is

light and not adapted to sustain any considerable weight on the ladder proper. In order, therefore, to relieve the tie-rod 0 extended step b, spread supporting-feet B, and the connections between these parts of all strain due to weight on the ladder portion, I provide a truss-rod E, which extends from one of said supporting-feet B to the other, said rod passing beneath the extended step b and having its center. bearing against a truss-block or dutchman interposed between it and the under side of the step bf The ends of said truss-rod E are of course provided with suitable straining heads or nuts d.

It will be seen that in the construction described the entire weight of the ladder proper is sustained by the truss-rod E, said rod, in connection with the extended step b, bracing the spreading supporting-pieces B and rendering the comparatively light stru cture quite rigid. Furthermore, the tie-rod c is by this combination of parts relieved of all vertical strain and the function of said tie-rod is to fix the upper ends of the supports B and hold them in proper position relative to the rest of the structure. This combination of trussrod, extended step, spreading supportingfeet, and upper tie-rod with the ladder proper provides a very strong, rigid, stable structure, and one which at the same time may be of light material, so as not to be too cumbersome for ready handling.

To maintain the ladder in proper position when in use, I provide a Y-shaped supporting-leg h, the two upper forks of which are secured, by means of pivot-pins f, to the side pieces A, near the top thereof, said leg being adapted'to fold up against the main part of the ladder when not in use.

I claim In a step-ladder, the combination with ladder portion composed of side pieces A having steps a secured thereto, of spreading, supporting-pieces B, having their upper ends beveled and fitted in angular relation to said side pieces A, a light tie-rod a passing through said supporting-pieces B at their upper ends and through the said side pieces'A in close proximity to the under side of one of said steps a, an extended step b secured to said supporting-pieces B, upon which step the lower ends of said side pieces A rest, a supporting truss-rod E beneath said step b se- Signed at West Somerset, in thecounty of cured by straining-nuts d to the supporting-. Niagara and State of New York, this 19th day 10 pieces B so as to sustain the entire weight of of July, A. D. 1900.

the ladder portion of the structure, a Y-shaped 5 leg to maintain said step-ladder in upright J JAY BACON position when in use, and pivot-pins to se- Witnesses: cure the forks of said Y-shaped leg to the said G. L. SWAN,

side pieces A. 0. LA VERNE CARPENTER. 

